Le Clos Medicis, Paris, France

Le Clos Medicis is an intimate boutique hotel, excellently placed, within easy walking distance of the shops and restaurants that abound in the area where St Germain and the Latin Quarter meet in Paris, just off the Boulevard St Michel and next to the Luxembourg Gardens.

The facilities

The welcoming lobby in the boutique hotel has a roaring open fire in winter, inviting sofas and chairs, a small bar, newspapers and a bowl of apples. The garden provides a quiet place to relax during the summer months. Breakfast is served there, weather permitting, or in the small breakfast room, where a wide continental selection is offered, cleverly arranged on corner shelves to maximize space. An internet station is available to guests and operated with cards from reception.

The rooms

Rooms at Le Clos Medicis are compact but retain a sense of space – some feature high ceilings and old wooden beams. All have been renovated in the last couple of years in a modern, unpretentious style. The décor is simple yet sophisticated – rich colours in solid blocks using different textures for variety rather than patterns.

Furniture is limited to essentials – a comfortable bed (double in the classic rooms, queen-size/twin in superiors upwards), a narrow bureau and chair, minibar and TV. Those most recently renovated have built in flat screen TVs. A safe is housed in the small wardrobe which with the chest of drawers is perfectly adequate for a short break. On the walls, a large mirror and well chosen art or photos, stylishly framed.

Bathrooms feature rustic floor tiles and either a bath with shower attachment and a glass splash door, or a spacious shower. The boutique hotel is under the same ownership as Villa des Orangers in Marrakech, and whilst Le Clos Medicis is a boutique hotel on a simpler level, the stylishness and relaxed ambiance are evident at both.